Exclusive interview with Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor
Mar 26 2009 by Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail
Gabby Agbonlahor talks to BILL HOWELL about his rise to stardom, Villa’s faltering bid to clinch a top-four place – and reminds fans just how far the club have come under manager Martin O’Neill.
THERE is not a player to divide opinion among Villa supporters quite like Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor.
He is still only 22 and tops the club’s Premier League goalscoring charts. Indeed, Bolton’s Kevin Davies is the only Englishman to have scored more.
It has been a whirlwind ride. Three years ago last week he scored on his debut after being unable to get a game at Watford or Sheffield Wednesday while out on loan.
New contracts have been signed without exception every summer.
His popularity reached a peak point when he scored a late winner at Blues last season a minute after clearing off the line from Liam Ridgewell.
He got the fifth goal against Blues at Villa Park in an unforgettable rout, scored a hat-trick on the opening day of this season, went on to play for England against Germany – when the critics raved about his performance – and against Spain.
Who would have guessed that just five weeks after sending 4,000 travelling fans into delirium at Blackburn Rovers with a late goal he would be the subject of ridicule by some of the club’s supporters against Tottenham and would then be out of the side at Liverpool?
Credit to the player, therefore, for fronting that criticism to the media directly after that home defeat.
Although the loss of his international place against Slovakia and the Ukraine has come as a blow, his grateful acceptance of an Under-21 vest in friendlies against Norway and France is at least part of a hopeful renaissance in the coming weeks.
“It has been a long season,” he admits of the 39 starts and three substitute appearances already behind him at club level.
“Starting right back in July, playing in countries in the heat, I’m happy with the number of games I have played, because it means I have been injury-free and getting a long run.
“It can get mentally tiring but we’ve got the right people at the training ground to make sure we get the right amount of time off to recover.
